The history of the Osages from 1808 to 1839 may be conveniently divided into three major sections, each separated by a cession treaty. The first begins with the cession treaty of 1808 and terminates with the cession of 1818. It covers the Osages' relations with the whites and the eastern tribes during that decade. The second section begins with the 1818 session treaty and ends with the land cession of 1825. It likewise covers the tribe's relations with the eastern tribes and the whites. The concluding division covers the period from the Osages' last major cession treaty to their removal to Kansas in 1839, and includes their relations with the eastern tribes, the western tribes, and the whites. These three sections combined cover the most turbulent period in Osage history, a period in which the United States Government and the powerful eastern tribes took the extensive Osage lands by right of conquest.

abstract: In Indian Country, the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault crimes have been described as arduous task. More so, determining whether the federal, state, or tribal government has criminal jurisdiction is perplexing. The various U.S. Supreme Court decisions and Federal Indian policies that influence tribal sovereignty restrict tribal government's authority over violent crimes that occur on tribal lands. In my thesis, I discuss U.S. Supreme Court decisions and federal Indian policies create a framework for colonial management and federal paternalism in Indian Country, which restrict tribal sovereignty and sentencing authority in criminal cases that occur on tribal lands and against their citizens. I introduce the Indigenous Woman's Justice Paradigm as a conceptual framework for Indian nations to develop an alternate system for responding to sexual assault crimes on tribal lands. The purpose of my research is to promote the cultural renewal of Indigenous justice practices to develop sexual assault jurisprudence or reform tribal rape law that are victim-centered and community controlled. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis American Indian Studies 2015